Lindsay Zdroik may not have gotten the win for St. Edward's softball team Monday, but it's a pretty safe bet the freshman will rack up her share of wins for the Green Wave this season and for the next four years.

Zdroik started Monday's game against Freeport at The Dome at The Ballpark in Rosemont, but came out after four innings with the game tied 1-1.

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St. Edward then exploded for 9 runs in the top of the sixth inning to make a winner of sophomore reliever Angela Zenteno. Zdroik came back in to pitch the seventh inning as the Green Wave capped off a 10-4 win.

"I feel like we play as a team and we have good hitting and defense," said Zdroik, whose 2-run triple ignited the sixth-inning Green Wave rally. "I was really nervous my first game (Saturday, a win over Sycamore) but I was more comfortable today."

St. Edward (3-1) jumped ahead of Freeport in the top of the first when Ashley Gradisher blooped a double down the left-field line and went to third on Ryann Scully's sacrifice bunt, which also landed Scully on first when Freeport bobbled the bunt. With Zdroik at the plate, Scully and Gradisher executed a perfect double steal to put the Wave on top.

Zdroik allowed the Pretzels just 2 hits in the first four innings but Freeport was able to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth when St. Edward made an error on Miakel Dedmond's bunt. She then stole second and third and came home on a throwing error.

"Our defense still needs a lot of work," said St. Edward coach Jaci Corn. "That will come the more we get to play."

Freeport grabbed a 3-1 lead off Zenteno in the bottom of the fifth, the second straight inning the Pretzels scored without a hit.

But the Green Wave offense produced 6 hits and took advantage of two Freeport errors in the top of the sixth to plate 9 runs. Julie Larson, Kali Kossakowski, Scully and Allison Stratman (3B) all had run-scoring hits in the inning, in addition to Zdroik's 2-run triple, and Zenteno drew a bases-loaded walk. By the time the inning was over, St. Edward had sent 13 batters to the plate and taken a 10-3 lead.

"We have to make sure our defense is good and that we work together as a team and talk more," said Kossakowski, the senior shortstop who is signed with NIU. "Hitting-wise we're going good and I think we can have a really good season. It's awesome to have a pitcher like Lindsay to get us those key outs in key situations.

Freeport made it a 10-4 game in the bottom of the sixth when Keanna White led off with a triple and scored on Madison Daniel's single, but Zdroik came on for the seventh and got Freeport 1-2-3, the final two on strikeouts. For the game she allowed just 2 hits, no earned runs, struck out six and walked two.

"Our offense definitely stepped up and came through today," said Corn, whose team will return to the dome for an 11 a.m. game Wednesday against Regina Dominican. "That inning gave us a nice cushion for Angela in her first varsity pitching experience. Having that lead made her more comfortable."

Zdroik, Stratman and Larson each had 2 hits for St. Edward, which had 11 for the day.

"Lindsay pitched well and her triple really got the momentum going in that (sixth) inning," Corn said. "That hit really got everyone pumped up and got us going."

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